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What we overheard at the Golden Globes

January 17, 2010 | 10:28
pm

Backstage and on the red carpet, we caught up with some of the TV winners at the Golden Globe Awards.

“Glee” creator Ryan Murphy

On celebrating: We're shooting tomorrow at like 8 in the morning, a big choir scene, so we're good to go and have a mimosa at 5. I don't know, it's very exciting, like -- we did this a year ago when we were making the pilot and we all loved it, but I'm literally shocked.

On the future: We're shooting a Madonna episode. She may or may not be in the show. We're doing a great number with Jane Lynch and Olivia Newton-John -- they're gonna do “Physical.” Idina Menzel is coming on. Just people we love and who we idolize and grew up with…. I had a meeting with Jennifer Lopez, she wants to come on. We want her to be a cafeteria lady. It all feels like a fever dream to me.

On whether he thinks “Glee” will open the door for other musical shows: I really don't. When I pitched the show, they were very skeptical but loving towards me because I'd done “Nip/Tuck” for Fox. But I've looked at the slate of pilots shooting for May and there's no one else doing a musical. I think we lucked out.

The “Mad Men” team

Matt Weiner [on winning]: It's hard to believe we've gotten to do this three times, but as I said in this speech, I feel like this organization [the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.] picked us and basically put us on the map. I'm very well aware of what the competition is. TV is really, really good right now and there's shows that weren't even nominated that are amazing.

Jon Hamm [on his facial hair]: I had gone right from filming Season 3 of “Mad Men” right into another project, and I'd been shaving twice a day and I just got very tired of shaving. I'm sure there's a hilarious joke there too, but I just decided I'd stop shaving and this is the result: It's a beard.

Michael C. Hall of “Dexter”

On the success of this past season: Well, John [Lithgow] certainly turned the knob up to 11 for us and had such an energy about him that infected everybody around him from the crew to the producers. People who have been watching the show from the beginning appreciated the cumulative effect the Trinity killer had on Dexter. There was just such a potency to that relationship, I think it compelled people.

On how Rita’s death will affect next season: Fundamentally. The writers reconvene this Wednesday, so we have to see what sticks. But I really am as excited as all of you are to find out what's in store.

On the cap he wore to the awards: I wanted something that was pretty simple but maybe a little fancier than your normal thing. I found this Japanese thing and it's actually really long, but I got the women who helped with her dress to help me out.

John Lithgow of “Dexter”

On his ending: I was certainly prepared for it. I knew I would come to a bad end. The worse the villain, the worse the death. I think it would have diminished the character to go on forever.

On preparing and working with Michael C. Hall: He's just a miracle to work with, a tremendous actor so committed to the series and so ego-free. I loved working with him. As far as preparing for the role, it was just a delicious role. I'm a character actor and a character actor looks for roles different from himself. I also loved the fact that Trinity's cover is the cover of a very nice guy, a family man with even a sense of humor. That's what made him so very, very creepy, and they found the right actor for the part.

On nude scenes: It's a very discomforting thing but I also knew these scenes have to be very, very disturbing.

Julianna Margulies of “A Good Wife”

On Elin Woods: I'm not going there. It's not my business.

On winning a Golden Globe: Oh, it's awfully nice. Any actor who says they don't want to get one is lying. But it shouldn't be your goal. The goal should be good work and fulfillment in what you do. This doesn't go with you when you die.

On kissing George Clooney en route to accepting her award: That was the best! I got flustered because I couldn't get up there and I saw this familiar face and it was very heartwarming for me.

On the power of her show: It makes me so sad because I got flustered in my speech and forgot my writers.... It's the writing. I think it's the most adult writing on TV right now. One of the things people stop me on the street for is the content and the way in which it's told. I was looking for a cable show because I wanted to be able to play a role that would allow me artistic freedom. And on CBS I got that, so I'm incredibly grateful.

Toni Collette of “United States of Tara”

On preparing to play multiple characters: I think initially it was just an issue of understanding what personality disorder is. This woman has experienced some horrible intense abuse, and the story is that the mind is able to splinter off and create these defensive characters and protect her from the knowledge of what actually happened to her. Create entire individuals the audience could invest in. It was a little daunting at first. I didn't know how it would work but it's a lot of fun, actually.

On what makes her nervous: Probably the notion of having to speak in front of people. Last night there were three Australians being honored at a ball and I was the third up there and they were very prepared and I was ill-prepared. And I chose to be in the moment and speak from my heart, and I think that's the best way to go in life. That's what I did this evening. I did forget some people….